& Experim l e ca n i t in a l l C C Noémi and József, J Clin Exp Cardiolog 2013, 4:7 f a Journal of Clinical & Experimental o r d l DOI: 10.4172/2155-9880.1000256 i a o n l o r g u y o J Cardiology ISSN: 2155-9880 Research Article Open Access Healing Prenatal Traumas with Tandem Hypnotherapy Császár-Nagy Noémi1* and Vas P József2* 1Head of Psychotherapy Department and Psychosomatic Out-Patient Department, National Center for Spinal Disorders, Budapest, Hungary 2Head of Department of Psychotherapy in Miskolc, Hungary Abstract Tandem Hypnotherapy designates a group of hypnotic methods which can be effectively applied in the cases of psychosomatic and mental disorders stemming from prenatal relational traumas. All the techniques of Tandem Hypnotherapy involve three persons: the client, the co-therapist, and the therapist. The latter two of them are in a tandem situation. Techniques of Tandem Hypnotherapy have been elaborated by the authors for the following settings: joint trance of natural mother and child; joint trance of virtual mother and child; joint twin hypnosis. The client makes an agreement with the therapist and the co-therapist to go into hypnosis with the aim of re-living the his/her intrauterine experiences and subsequent birth. In the therapeutic setting touches play a central role as they help to resolve the psychopathological outcomes of early relational traumas in a joint attunement evolving between the participants in tandem. This study presents three case vignettes together with some conceptual issues raised by their analysis. Keywords: Tandem hypnotherapy; Prenatal trauma; Joint trance of or drug addiction, the mother’s severe somatic illness and/or surgical real mother and child; Joint trance of virtual mother and child; Joint intervention, starvation or physical exhaustion, Blighted Twin twin hypnosis Syndrome [15], the mother’s insufficient mourning of a previous or current loss, the mother’s negative emotional attitude toward or neglect Introduction of the baby, death or dire life situations of family members [16,17], Long ago in the archaic tribes the shaman viewed the illnesses attempted artificial abortion, or prenatal medical interventions like as some kind of imbalance between spiritual powers that cause amniocentesis, etc. We can speak of a perinatal trauma when some pathological effects on the body & soul unit. For the 20th century this form of complicated delivery occurs such as a Caesarean section, type of holistic approach has gradually vanished from doctors’ practice intensive perinatal care, etc. [8,18]. due to an incredible development of the medical science [1]. As a matter It is by now accepted knowledge, that social interactions, including of fact there is a great urge to view body and mind/soul as a whole again those taking place in psychotherapy, exert a direct effect on gene even in western cultures. This new synthetic viewpoint secures up-to- expression, which in turn modifies synaptic strength influencing date data provided by scientific research and integrates these data into the way social experiences affect our brain [3]. The psychotherapy a coherent theory and practice [2]. This standpoint seems especially important in treating disorders that stem from a very early period of life, of illnesses rooted in the prenatal periods must target the preverbal since the condition for the building up of foetus’ organism is influenced phase, the preverbal province and bodily experiences. This is why these by the presence of a social environment, primarily the mother, which disorders need to be treated by a therapeutic approach that functions is to unfold the foetus’ genetic program [3-5]. Thus biological and on the same developmental level on which the trauma has occurred psychosocial facts are viewed to be in close interrelationship with each [19,20]. Over the past decades numerous techniques, designated jointly other. This is the reason why developmental somato-psychopathology as body–psychotherapies [6], have been developed, which place their are badly in need of such theories and therapies that represent a holistic focus on the body. Tandem Hypnotherapy (THT) developed by the viewpoint and a scientific base at the same time [6]. authors in the past few years is one of the techniques belonging to this group [21-23]. Keeping in mind the body–soul unit prenatal pathological intrusions can all be regarded as relational traumas, for a prenatal trauma always occurs within the context of the mother–foetus bonding [7-9]. The *Corresponding authors: Császár-Nagy Noémi, PhD, ECP; Head of relational trauma leading to a flaw in the providing for the needs of an the Education Board of the Hungarian Association of Hypnosis (H.A.H), evolving foetus will act as an injury hindering the bio-psychological clinical psychologist, supervisor hypnotherapist, psychotherapist, Head of regulation of the foetus’ organogenesis, and the maturation of the Psychotherapy Department and Psychosomatic Out-Patient Department at the National Center for Spinal Disorders in Budapest, Address: 1126 Királyhágó nervous system, and that of the personality. The earlier the trauma Street 1. Budapest, Hungary, Tel: +36 30 754 8427 or +36 30 7548434 occurs, the more archaic the cerebral region might be (for example (secretary: JuditTamás), E-mail: [email protected] the brainstem or the hypothalamus) that is involved in the resulting Vas P József, MD, ECP; former president of the Hungarian Association structural/functional disturbance leading to the illness [10]. As a of Hypnosis (HAH), supervisor hypnotherapist, Head of Department of result of the damage regulatory processes between these regions and Psychotherapy in Miskolc, Hungary, Address: H-+527. Soltész Nagy Kálmán u. those to be developed subsequently will be disturbed. Disturbances of 1. 1/5, Miskolc, Hungary; Tel: +36 30 687 2993; E-mail: [email protected] or [email protected] coping processes are viewed as an implicit procedural somatic memory, which will be repeated at the original level of functioning when facing Received April 29, 2013; Accepted July 06, 2013; Published July 08, 2013 new forms of stress, which can lead to somatic, psychosomatic and Citation: Noémi CN, József VP (2013) Healing Prenatal Traumas with Tandem psychological deregulations and in the worst cases, disorders [11-14]. Hypnotherapy. J Clin Exp Cardiolog 4: 256. doi:10.4172/2155-9880.1000256 Prenatal trauma occurs when an expecting mother and her foetus Copyright: © 2013 Noémi CN, et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits have distress in the form of either of the following: intrauterine unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the infection (i.e. flu), intoxications in the form of smoking, alcohol and/ original author and source are credited. J Clin Exp Cardiolog Volume 4 • Issue 7 • 1000256 ISSN: 2155-9880 JCEC, an open access journal Citation: Noémi CN, József VP (2013) Healing Prenatal Traumas with Tandem Hypnotherapy. J Clin Exp Cardiolog 4: 256. doi:10.4172/2155- 9880.1000256 Page 2 of 6 Method closeness; and the second types are distal or distancing therapies, characterized by spatial distance [32], Tandem Hypnotherapy (THT) developed by the authors recently, designates a group of hypnotic methods that can be effectively applied (9) developmental neuropsychology [4,10], in the case of psychosomatic and mental disorders stemming from (10) prenatal and perinatal medicine and psychology [8], prenatal traumas. The word tandem has two meanings: (1) a multi-seated bicycle; (2) an acronym for Touch of Ancient and New Generations (11) ranspersonal psychology [33]. with a Dialogue Experiencing Oneness of Minds (TANDEM). THT It is known how proximate therapies have changed in the history of involves the participation of more than two persons: the client(s), the modern psychotherapies when Freud refused proximate hypnosis for co-therapist(s) and the hypnotherapist. The co-therapist, who can be the sake of distancing analysis. Freud’s follower, a Hungarian analyst, the patient’s natural mother/father/sibling, makes body contact with developed a proximate method and made the patient sit in his lap. the client, e.g. by touching his/her arm or having him/her sit on his/her Wilhelm Reich’s orgone therapy was based on [34] bodily massage, later lap, or assumes a symbolic mother/father/sibling role (if the relative is Frank Lake, Leonard Orr and Stanislav Grof practiced psychotherapies not available or doesn’t want to participate). The co-therapist can also called re-birthing therapies to relive the birthing process [35]. Currently take the role of the patient’s imagined twin brother or sister when twin- proximate types are somato-psychotherapy, bio-energetic therapy, type THT is used. movement and dancing therapies, and haptonomy [36,37]. Thus the co-therapist(s) goes into trance together with the client(s) Touch is viewed as a normal action among people expressing in a tandem situation to elicit a positive, corrective experience, with the friendship, closeness and intimacy. As a matter of fact, ethics of potential of coping with the client(s)’ traumas, while the therapist keeps therapeutic touch are fundamental to be kept. For the sake of human distance from those being in tandem trance. Techniques of THT have dignity this rule must be respected both by therapists and patients. been elaborated by the authors for the following settings: Zur and Nordmarken have recently collected developmental, (1) joint rebirth trance of two clients by taking the role of mother neurophysiological, clinical, ethical and legal data on therapeutic touch and daughter or son; [38]. Based on investigations they claim more value and use of touch among psychotherapeutic tools. (2) joint twin-type tandem trance in which natural or virtual twins go in trance to resolve intrauterine traumatic experiences; Results (3) some forms of intergenerational hypnodrama, for example three At the moment more than 50 cases are under clinical investigation, persons taking the roles of members of a clan.